Tomorrow I'll be an Ocean
by TenTenD
Summary: AU! It starts with them and ends with them. They world is simple and so much more complicated then they can ever imagine. Sasuke and Sakura and their relationship in snippets. They count the time by glances and smiles and the map of their moments is ever extending.


_**A/N: Warning: AU! Yep, I finally decided to post something for this fandom again. **_

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i

They exist in chaos.

The world around them is a mass of glinting orbs; thousands upon thousands of burning lights. Everything spins around. Sasuke fingers are twined with Sakura's. They've always been this way. There wasn't ever a time when they were not like this. Or if there was, neither remembers.

So they spin is circles, because it's all they've ever known; this motion.

If the tableau ever blurs in front of their eyes, Sakura is the one that urges Sasuke to lean into her, closer, closer even and focus on her, and she on him. But their surrounding really count for nothing as Sasuke rarely takes his eyes off of her.

When he does the world is a smudge.

ii

There is no time where they spin.

Sasuke simply counts the number beats Sakura's chi emanates. It's like a wave, her energy. And Sasuke is her shore. The sea of her laps at the edge of the sand, permeating it. Just like that Sasuke can feel her essence reaching out to his, in slow, lazy rolls. Time does not exist for them and they exist beyond time.

Was it ever any different?

Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Sasuke lets his claw-like nails graze Sakura's arms. The light marks of that trail down her skin glow bright pink. And Sasuke keeps his gaze to her pink hair. This is his way of assuring himself she is still there with him.

Because despite not remembering it ever being not the same, it could be.

iii

Sometimes they talk to one another.

Sakura is not always sure about what Sasuke is saying. The words sound peculiar coming from his mouth. Not because Sakura doesn't understand. She does understand. But between the last time they spoke, the time they actually speak and that distant instant in which they will speak again eons pass.

Sharp, bright green eyes read behind his silence.

Words are not needed. She's known him since creation. They've been like they are since before the begging of time. She needs not hear words cross his lips to know what it is he wants. And all Sasuke ever wants is her. That's all he's ever wanted.

Dancing into infinity, they hold on.

iv

After the forever they've spent together, Sasuke can't let go.

It's not the fact that he likes, loves, adores Sakura. He can't exist without her. And that should be taken literally. If he lets go, the void will pull her away and he will cease to continue on his own. But that's not his reason. Sasuke ties himself to Sakura because there is no other way to be.

They twirl into the centre of an empty ether.

Always together, yet never close enough. Sasuke could drown into her. Sakura's pull is that strong, that undeniable. The nothingness around them is cruel and cold and Sasuke likes that Sakura annuls all that with him. Together with him, as they'd always been.

Blackness defines their world.

v

A glitch, and they falter.

It's the first time their tight grasp slips. Sakura's eyes widen in horrified disbelief while Sasuke's hand shots after her retreating appendage. For just a short moment, he can feel time passing over them. And its effects are damaging. Everything is moving so fast.

Hot, insistent despair propels him forward.

Wounding his fingers around her wrist, he pulls her back towards him. The razor-sharp nails actually pierce the thin white covering. Red seeps out, a streak against alabaster skin. Sakura's lips move to form a foreign sound that make Sasuke's ears tingle. Her pain hurts him. He presses his lips to the wound.

It's the first time something other than his hand touches her.

vi

The experiment brings satisfaction.

Lately, voices have floated around them. Sakura can hear them when she allows herself to. They are warm and kind. Not the kind of warmth she feels when Sasuke holds her. It's something different and curious. Sakura can't help feeling the attraction.

Long legs are wrapped around a shorter pair.

Sasuke can feel her distraction. The voices whisper softly against them. He wishes she wouldn't listen because even though he can't understand, Sasuke feels their purpose. They are trying to break Sakura and him apart. Break them to tiny pieces and scatter them in the wind.

Voices don't fade like he wants.

vii

One can't avoid change forever.

Sakura drifts peacefully, her thought a quiet buzz. She murmurs comfortingly into Sasuke's ear, her joy at being needed obvious by the way the girl talks. It's not like Sasuke to express his need for her, but Sakura acknowledges him all the same. This is Sasuke, the only person she's ever had.

And she is the only one he ever had.

Sasuke doesn't dare relax his grip. The memory of horror never leaves him; not when he closes his eyes and not when he breathes her in. He can't live like this forever. He can't live in fear. But he doesn't know any different. Sasuke's fingers form small craters into Sakura's skin.

Theirs is the decline.

viii

"Why not listen?" she asks.

And at once the world falls apart around them. Sakura grows weary of always stepping away. She wants to know, to explore. Animosity is not for her so she does not wear it well. Sakura crumbled under the weight of it all, loving and hating this other half of her. "Why not just listen, for once?"

"Just let it go," he replies.

The rift appears. Where they can't agree, both will shut the other out. It a way of coping and it works, for a while. But then, they are Sasuke and Sakura. Between them there should be a balance. Yet the balance is not and they have no idea what to do in its absence.

"Sasuke, please…"

ix

At a standstill, they slowly grow apart.

Subtly at first, Sakura starts pulling away. Her eyes shine, but not like before. The light is a little less than it was. And Sasuke still holds on to her, but his hand tires now. There are times when he wishes to let go, to let the nothingness sweep him away.

Seams rip all around.

Chances are that one of them will let go this time. Whether it be Sakura or Sasuke, the fact is they are broken. So the voices find it so much easier to spring upon them; they are louder and bolder. Sakura is unafraid and Sasuke is resentful. Nothing changes that.

The thread will snap.

x

Pain spears through both of them.

Never has Sakura felt anything this intense. It's like she's being torn into little pieces, bit by agonizing bit. She screams out, hands frantically trying to reach her Sasuke. Letting go is a mistake and she only realises this now as she feels herself breaking apart.

The fog clears slowly.

Resigned, Sasuke stops his hand from reaching out to Sakura. His choice hurts, but no more than hers has. After all, it is Sakura who is the first to pull away. Resentment and anger don't even come close to what he's feeling at this moment. But Sasuke knows it is bound to happen with the way things are now.

Foreign coldness takes over.

xi

Uchiha Sasuke is born.

He comes into the world with an ear-splitting bawl. The new born is cold and hungry and more than a little angry at having to leave the safety he's previously known. His mother wraps soft arms around him, whispering sweetly word he cannot understand. Nonetheless he calms down in her embrace.

Itachi scowls light, but is truly happy.

Mikoto glances at her husband. He is watching her too, customary neutral look in place. Fugaku is not one for outward displays. Instead he pats Itachi's head and lens over the child to look at the babe his wife holds do tenderly. Words cannot possibly suffice in this instance. So now words are spoken.

And this is the real world.

xii

Sakura is a child of March.

Born before Sasuke, she has already opened her brilliant green eyes by the time her long-time partner follows her into this world. The body she gets is small and delicate, cocooning a spirit that has never known what it is to be without its other half. Yet as a baby Sakura is content with her mother's hold.

Cherry blossoms crown her.

Summer suits Sakura. She loves the fresh smell of everything and the occasional soft outpour. There is nothing better than the pitter-patter of rain on the deserted streets. It is soothing and it reminds her of grey eyes that darken like the clouds. But Sakura is a baby who does not possess actual memories.

Rain gently guides her into sleep.

xiii

They know love.

In the close-knit midst of her family Sakura is well loved. She is her father's daughter and her mother's pride and joy. A happy child with a bubbly personality, Sakura is frequently shy but no less bent on getting her way. Both parents strive to make their princess happy as much as they can.

Not everybody loves the same.

Sasuke finds warmth in his mother's embrace and strength in his brother's constant support. But it is from his father that he learns resolve. The lesson is bitter to swallow but beneath his father's stern exterior there is a loving heart and a proud parent that only wants hid children's best.

And they are happy.

xiv

Growing up is hard.

At age seven, Sakura finally hears the story that will change her life forever. Her mother uncovers a gloved hand and the little girl sees the name of her father tattooed on the woman's skin. "Sakura-chan, you will soon have one too," her mother tells her, finger combing her hair gently. "Soon, my darling."

The name appears slowly.

It takes days and days for it to become more than a blur, more than a blemish on otherwise clear skin. Sakura waits, not with much patience, for the symbols to become intelligible. She wants to know who her other half is. So her eyes scarcely leave the patch where the change takes place. And then she sees.

Neatly written in her palm is _Sasuke_.

xv

What kind of name is _Sakura_?

Eight years old Sasuke scoffs and hides the name on his palm behind a thin fingerless glove. Itachi smirks at his brother's blatant discomfort but says nothing. Teasing is reserved for later when their father is not here. This way they won't get a scolding for raising their voices. Sasuke hasn't mastered the glare yet.

Too many girls have that name.

Uchiha Mikoto smiles a secret smile. Her youngest son is thinking too hard again. Sharing a look with her husband, the woman brushes her hand to his. "Are you boys going to start eating or do I have to spoon-feed you myself?" That's how they starts every morning in their household. No more wasting time.

How will he ever find the Sakura he's looking for?

xvi

The wind blows something fierce.

Rain beats wildly again the windows and Sakura heaves a sign. She really doesn't want to be here. Ino is chattering her ears off and shy, impressionable Sakura has no idea how to stop her boisterous friend. Short pink hair stand out in a sea of blondes and brunettes. "That's nice, Ino-chan."

Now all the free time is useless.

They can't go out because of the rain and Sakura would have to play outside. The angry clouds are almost scary. Ino distracts her with an amusing story of a boy she knows. It's a real pity they have no boys in their class, Sakura thinks. Ino would be less chatty then. "He really did that? Really?"

But the again, Ino is a good friend.

xvii

The sponge imbibes water.

The thunder rumbles making Sasuke wince. The sound is so loud. It's even louder than his desk mate Naruto and that kid's volume is pretty hard to beat. Turning the water tap off, Sasuke hurries back to the classroom, sponge held fast in his hand. All this rain is annoying. More annoying than Naruto actually.

"Sasuke-teme, what took you?"

That's when he takes it back. Nothing can be more annoying than Naruto. Maybe just that blasted name carved in his palm, all loopy letters and girlish script. "Hn," he replies and takes his seat, throwing a murderous glance at Iruka-sensei. Why couldn't he seat next to someone normal, again?

And the day goes on.

xviii

"This is heaven," Sakura murmurs.

Soft sheets and a cool pillow make her bed the best place in the whole entire world. The TV in her room is on and one of those old films plays on screen. Sakura pays it no mind. She has more important thing to do at the moment and they involve a close analysis of the name she bears in her palm.

_Sasuke_ is a nice name.

The letters are tidy and clear and so very, very _Sasuke. _If anything Sakura thinks the boy is much like his letters, all sharp edges and cutting, but with enough wit for it to actually be funny. Of course, she has never met the real Sasuke but neither has no met the boy whose name is in her palm.

So it's not such a problem.

xix

Itachi ruffles his brother's hair.

"Stop that," Sasuke snaps. He reaches for Itachi, the perfect revenge in mind. Fugaku shakes his head but lets the boys be boys. Mikoto reminds him with a slight glare that they are still children. The paper is infinitely more interesting than a pair of sibling squabbling anyway, so he looks away.

"I'll get you for that," Itachi promises.

"Empty threats," Sasuke returns, peals of laughter accompanying his words. They are loud and happy and neither brother had considered the names on their palms seriously up till now. Itachi is close, but he's still too much a boy. "You can't catch me. I'm way too fast for you." And Sasuke runs.

"Children," Mikoto says and shrugs.

xx

Meeting her is unexpected.

There is a girl in the street with pink hair and green eyes and the scent of cherry blossoms floating all around her. Another girl yells her name and all Sasuke hears of their exchange is _Sakura._ She's the Sakura he has been looking for? Could it be her? Sasuke advances slowly.

Sparks fly when they collide.

"Sakura?" he asks, confident and proud like he was taught to be. She turns to him, eyes questioning. The hand that's encased in a glove itches slightly. Sasuke stares at her as if frozen. He can't quite decide if he should be staring so intently or not. "Are you by any chance Sakura?"

She nods. "And you are?"

xxi

And that's how they meet.

Absolutely mesmerising as it is, Sakura still laughs when Naruto crashes into Sasuke. "Your friend is really funny." And his friends become her friends too, because it's Sakura and Sasuke again. Only this time it them and others. They are no longer alone. And that's a good thing, a very good thing.

"I like your name," she tells him.

"You are not a very tidy writer." His words make her frown, yet Sasuke likes this one flaws of hers. "It's unique." He uncovers his hand and shows her the name scribbled on his skin. The loops and the slight tremble of the letters suit her so very well. "I like this about you," he confides in her.

"Then I won't ever change," she decides.


End file.
